ago
Americanadjective
adverb
adverb
Usage
What does ago mean? Ago means in the past. It’s always used in combination with other words that indicate exactly or about how much time has passed since something happened—never by itself (you wouldn’t say That happened ago). Examples of such phrases are three weeks ago, an hour ago, five days ago, long ago, and a long time ago. Example: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away ….
Etymology
Origin of ago
before 1000; Middle English ago ( n ), Old English āgān, past participle of āgān to go by, pass, equivalent to ā- a- 3 + gān to go 1
Explanation
Use ago to mean "earlier" or "in the past." Dinosaurs lived a long time ago. The adverb ago refers to a time before the present moment, sometimes in the distant past, and sometimes more recently: "She just left for her appointment ten minutes ago." When you talk about the more remote past, you might say "long ago" or "a long time ago." Ago was originally a shortened form of agone in Middle English, "departed or passed away."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was started three years ago by English teacher Daryl Bilandzija, a former student of Crouch’s who saw that handing over the plot to his old teacher would mean learning for his students.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
That brings me back to the incident many years ago, as I stood in the Russian woods with my friend, underdressed and with my teeth beginning to chatter.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
"There's numerous species that we could point out that weren't here 20 years ago... and now they're quite abundant."
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
“The taboo to say negative things about Jews has disappeared,” says Hetty Berg, director of the Jewish Museum Berlin, which opened to the public 25 years ago Sept. 13.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
I only knew, as I lay in my bed at the top of the house, that certain moments from long ago stood out in focus against the blur of years.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
